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Boris refuses to confirm he will meet affordable housing target

Boris Johnson has been branded ‘outrageously blasé’ after refusing to answer questions from Labour politicians on whether he will hit his affordable housing target.

He was questioned on his pledge to build 50,00 new affordable homes by March 2015 at Mayor’s Question Time yesterday.

Under questioning from Tom Copley, Housing Spokesperson for Labour, Mr Johnson said: ‘If it [the target] slips by a few hundred in March or whatever deadline you arbitrarily choose to set then we’ll look at it then.’

When asked when the 50,000 would be completed, he added: ‘I don’t know, whenever we’ve done them.’

As of September, 38,412 were built – leaving more than 10,000 outstanding with the March deadline closing in.

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: ‘This year more low cost homes are being built in London than in any other since 1980. The Mayor’s manifesto clearly states his target to deliver around 55,000 homes by the end of next year, and he is on target to deliver that. Moreover, he is on track to deliver 100,000 low cost homes over his two terms, a record for the Greater London Authority.’